1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to data management and in particular to a method and apparatus for storing data in an intermittently connected sensor. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method, apparatus, and computer program code for accessing data about items in intermittently connected sensors associated with the items.
2. Background
Intermittently connected sensors, such as radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, may be used to store and retrieve data. A radio frequency identification tag is an example of a remote intermittently connected sensor that may be associated with an item. In these examples, associating a radio frequency identification tag with an item may include, for example, attaching the radio frequency identification tag to the item, incorporating the radio frequency identification tag into the item, or some other suitable mechanism for placing a radio frequency identification tag proximate to the item such that the tag can be readily identified as being associated with the item. These items include, for example, products, animals, or people. These types of sensors may be used to identify items and obtain information about items using radio frequency transmissions. Some radio frequency identification tags may be read from several meters away and beyond the line of sight of the reader.
These types of sensors are used in enterprise supply chain and management. The use of intermittently connected sensors improves the efficiency of tracking and managing inventory. For the various uses of these types of sensors, it is important to ensure that the data is consistently and properly stored and retrieved from radio frequency identification tags, as well as ensure that the data is trustworthy. These capabilities are especially important with airline parts, original equipment manufacturer (OEM), and airline maintenance operations of an aircraft part that is associated with a radio frequency identification tag.
With this type of use, more storage is required as compared to radio frequency identification tags used with other items, such as, for example, consumer products. The aircraft industry has indicated that it would be desirable to use radio frequency identification tags as a storage device for information such as, for example, maintenance history records, maintenance instructions, and other suitable information associated with the aircraft component.
In tracking aircraft parts, the radio frequency identification tag is a storage device on which different radio frequency identification tag readers may read and place data about an aircraft part onto the radio frequency identification tag associated with the item. As the radio frequency identification tag and the aircraft part moves from city to city, or move from airline to airline, properly reading the data on the tag is important.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a method, apparatus, and computer program code for overcoming the problems described above.